A Quiet Evening
by nellautumngirl
Summary: This is a one-shot from the Point-and-click game "Remedy", the first of the Carol Reed Mystery series. Carol is investigating the case of a missing woman and visits the woman's ex-husband, who still loves his wife and has turned to drinking. If you don't know these games and like mystery games with beautiful graphics and a good, fun story, make sure to check them out!


Do you remember Gustav from the Carol Reed Mystery "Remedy", the guy who used to be the president of Vivatech and the ex-husband of the kidnapped woman? This is a little one-shot about his meeting with Carol, from his perspective. My English is far from perfect, so please tell me if you spot any mistakes :)

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Gustav emptied the last bottle of beer. Should he put on his jacket and take a short walk to the shop on the corner of the street? But he didn't know if he was capable of walking straight. No, it was too big of a risk, what if he met someone he knew? And that was something he didn't want to deal with today on top of everything else. He already felt so bad that he had begun drinking before lunch. He felt a throbbing pain in his temples, his eyes were burning and his stomach was in a tight knot. Today would have been their anniversary. His and Madeleine's. Upon thinking about her, all of his memories about her emerged again. The cinnamon scent of her hair, her deep-green eyes, her mellow humming when she worked in the kitchen, her favorite- Enough already. He couldn't take any more, he didn't want to. He would have done anything to get her out of his mind and at the same time he was certain that this would be his end. Madeleine.. his love and his curse, in good and bad days, as God is my witness. But God couldn't help him either now, although they had spoken their vows before him, in the little church on the outskirts of Norrköping. A yellow gemstone, set in gold. She had loved the ring and had never taken it off, until the day she had thrown it at his feet and had walked off. Forever. He stared down at his own hands. They looked weak and oddly vulnerable lying on the table. Without a ring. The sound of the doorbell pulled him out of his somber thoughts for a second. He called, "Come in, the door is open," and was shocked at how tired his voice sounded. He heard footsteps and the next moment, a young girl was standing at the kitchen door. Wait, no, she wasn't that young, the short blond hair, the petite build and the big eyes had put him off. He was close to asking if she always came into the home of men she didn't know. Then he laughed at his own thoughts. What threat could he possibly pose in his state, even if he would have had bad intentions? She had probably already seen that, or she was just too daring for her own good. Whatever, he just wanted her to leave as quickly as possible. However, she didn't look like this was her intention. Something about the line around her mouth gave her pretty face a very determined look. She introduced herself, "My name is Carol Reed, I am looking for Madeleine Grip. Do you know where I can fínd her?" He felt a sudden rise of anger inside him. "My wife? No, I don't know, and I don't care." "Don't you also work for Vivatech?" Well, this girl didn't come to him empty-handed. "I used to be the president, you know." She frowned and continued to talk, but he had seen understanding in her eyes. "But you two are still married?" "Yes, to this day, it is still a marriage, at least on paper." "Don't you work for Vivatech anymore?" "Well, she didn't throw me out completely, you know. Just to punish me more she gave me this lousy consultant job. She probably couldn't live without my competence. Or maybe she didn't want to see her husband on the street. Now leave me alone." He saw her opening her mouth and snapped at her, "Didn't you hear me? I said leave me alone!" She hesitated, her dark blue eyes still fixed on him. Then she nodded on parting and turned around.

When he heard the door in the hall slamming, he buried his head in his hands. He stood up, turned out the light and stumbled into the hallway. Maybe some miracle would happen if he stopped drinking for today and tried to get some sleep. He entered the bedroom and saw his unmade bed, the lowered blinds and the dust on the chest of drawers. If only he could have left this house and this life by following the girl. Maybe this would have been the best for everyone.


End file.
